


Mercury

by cherrysprite



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Liam Dunbar, Anxious Theo Raeken, Chimera Theo Raeken, Chimeras, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Good Theo Raeken, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt, Near Death Experiences, Past Liam Dunbar/Hayden Romero, Poisoning, Sick Character, Theo Raeken-centric, no hayden bashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-09 22:22:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20517377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrysprite/pseuds/cherrysprite
Summary: When Theo noticed the familiar sight of mercury in the bottom of the sink, he chose to ignore it. He's bled before, so why would now be any different? Everyone else is fine and he can handle it on his own.As it turns out, the little bits of mercury in his blood aren't something that the rest of the pack considers "no big deal" as they scramble for a cure.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, it's me, starting another chapter fic at the WORST time considering today is my last day of summer vacation!! It's time for stressing out and trying to write in classes again!! Good going, em.
> 
> Anyway, here's something completely different than the other fic I'm currently in the process of writing, but we'll just have to see how it plays out ;)

Liam punched him in the face. Again.

Really, Theo should be used to it by now. It wasn't like Liam being the alpha was going to change anything, after all, which was why he felt stupid that he was surprised when it happened for the now fifth time. 

It had been about a year after the battle with the Anuk-ite and hunters, which, admittedly, was a pretty impressive amount of time for Liam to hold off on the needless violence (there had been another punching about two months after Scott and the rest went off to college), so Theo was used to not having his nose broken. It was kind of nice, actually, not having to reset his nose every four seconds. Last time he did it it came back a little crooked, and he had to break it again himself so he could fix it. That hadn't been a fun day.

He sighed as he stared at himself in his bathroom mirror, a half-bloody tissue hanging from his nose while his hands were occupied gripping the corners of his white pedestal sink. His bathroom wasn't terribly nice or anything, decent, since it was hard to afford living on his own with scarcely a high school education, but he wasn't at home very often anyway. He usually crashed on someone's couch or drove to some random spot to fall asleep. This was exactly the type of day that Theo would be at home: when he was cleaning himself up from yet another pack-related injury.

His green eyes looked tired, but he was used to that. Being a pack ally wasn't the easiest job in the world, especially when he was pretty sure that the three others (excluding Liam) who were in it still hated him. Corey didn't pay much attention to him or seemed kind of on edge around the other chimera, Mason simply preferred everyone else over him, and Alec, the new werewolf Scott had rather foolishly taken in and then left with Liam, was for whatever reason just rude to him. Theo couldn't blame them, anyway. Maybe he deserved a couple punches in the face. They kept him from getting his hopes up too high and letting feelings resurface.

He shut his eyes for a second and pulled the tissue out, not bothering to look at it since he knew what to expect already. He tilted his head up to make sure he wasn't bleeding anymore and breathed out again, relieved he wasn't.

Theo wiped the small drop of blood left on the sink and tossed the tissue in the small wastebasket, only looking at it to make sure it had made it in. The tissue sat in the bottom of the bin, but Theo had to look twice.

His eyes were fixated on a small silver stain on it, and he squinted, tired, to try and see if it was just a shadow. He couldn't tell, so in his exhaustion of that day, Theo wrote it off as just being his imagination. It generally didn't work in his favor anyway, after all.

__

The metallic taste in his mouth was different when he accidentally bit the side of his mouth a little too hard while chewing gum and trying to listen to whatever Liam was saying at their regularly scheduled pack meeting. The beta-turned-sitting alpha insisted that they held these meetings every two weeks at least, even if it was just to get together. It was one of the things that Scott hadn't done; every official meeting they had was only because of an impending threat, and if they wanted to talk to each other outside of that, they had to actually work at it. It made forming relationships kind of difficult between pack members.

Not that Theo was a pack member, but he found that Liam's method wasn't really working all that well. Alec was still leveling him with an unimpressed and skeptical gaze from next to him that Theo didn't know how to work with, and Mason and Corey were pretty absorbed in each other and didn't make much of an effort to start a conversation. At least it gave Theo the impression that Liam didn't completely despise him, since he was the only one to really talk to him throughout the days they spent together.

Alec raised his eyebrow when he winced and held the side of his mouth, but Theo ignored him. He didn't care much about what the beta werewolf thought of him, and he definitely wasn't about to explain the concept of pain to him. He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek to try and soothe the pain of the bite, but all it did was spread a terrible taste into his mouth that made him nervous.

"I'm just going to the bathroom, chill out," was all Theo said as Alec shot him a look when he got up from the couch and headed to the bathroom off Liam's kitchen. He shut and locked the door behind him in case someone tried to check on him, turned on the light, and opened his mouth into the mirror.

A tiny amount of red blood was on his tongue, but deep down, Theo knew it didn't taste the same and knew exactly why. Little swirls of silvery liquid could be seen in it when he spat it into the bottom of the sink as quietly as possible, muffling the sound with a cough to make sure no one was suspicious of him.

He knew what mercury meant in chimeras, but he didn't want to think about it. Back when the Dread Doctors were still around, he had been able to hide the mercury leaks when they happened, since they were pretty much next to nothing. He wasn't about to start losing limbs or completely purging like the others ones had. It would stop soon enough.

He made sure to rinse out the sink and go back to the living room with everyone else, ignoring the taste running through his mouth. 

"You okay?" Liam asked curiously when he sat back down near him. "I heard you coughing."

"Yeah, a bug flew into my mouth," Theo lied again. Liam rolled his eyes lightheartedly and the other three laughed, bringing Theo back to the surface.

The rarity of that nice moment stung almost as much as the feeling of blood and mercury in the back of his throat.

__

Theo's truck had broken down, because of course the world couldn't give him a break with all it's cosmic "fuck yous" thrown his way. He had walked home, a few blocks away from where the old blue truck broke down by the river. If he were lucky, he could go back and get it later, but for now, he had to sleep, and even Theo wasn't confident enough to think that Riverside Drive was a good place to drift off.

He fell through the door of his house and trudged upstairs, yanking off his boots as soon as he got into the upstairs hallway and leaving them there, too tired to pick them up. Completely zapped for energy, Theo shut his eyes and fell asleep almost immediately for once. He didn't have time to wonder if that was odd or not.

Of course, no good things, or good sleep, rather, could last with him, so he found himself sitting straight up in bed with a gasp, expecting to hit his head on the metal ceiling of a morgue freezer. "Fuck," he whispered, his hand fumbling over his stomach and sides until he found his heartbeat in his chest. It was still beating, still _there_, and Theo relaxed and let the tears waiting to come fall. 

All he could do at times like these was remind himself that Tara wasn't real. His stolen heart was still beating and keeping him alive. There was no Hell tonight.

Sometimes he wondered if what he saw in Hell was real or not. It felt so, so real, the feeling of Tara's hands gripping him like a vice and breaking his ribs with no remorse. He guessed that the real question was her. Was Tara's being just something engineered to torture him, or was that actually his sister? Was she at rest like she should be, or forced to kill him over and over?

That made him feel worse, and he wiped tears away from where they were falling from the corners of his eyes and sniffed. Theo looked at the clock that read four AM and knew he needed to get back to sleep so he could go to class the next day (college courses from the applications Liam helped/forced him to fill out), so he laid back down and shut his eyes.

This time, sleep didn't come to him so easily. Instead, he caught the scent of something all too familiar, metallic and sharp.

His eyes opened to his hand, placed under his head for comfort, to find that the fingers that had wiped away his tears were slick with the shiny substance that had haunted so many before.

_Failure_ played through his head in the same voice from before.

_Failure_ was all that he could think about no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. _Failure_ followed him into sleep when he shut his eyes tight.

He took a deep breath and pushed it back. 

No one cared about a failure anyway.


	2. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Theo hides his struggle from Liam, more are starting to fall under, and a familiar face makes its way to Liam's doorstep in the process.

The bleeding before usually lasted for one to three days, and it wasn't nearly enough to result in any worry on Theo's part. On the fourth day when the mercury didn't stop, it irked him, but he still didn't mention it. Theo hated it when people worried about him, even though he knew they were only claiming to be so he didn't go and try and leave Beacon Hills out of spite. 

The only issue with keeping it a secret was Corey. Theo had been the only one who had never had a large amount of bleeding and was never threatened with the Dread Doctors killing him, so now that he was the one with problems with his DNA, he knew that Corey might too. He always made sure to keep a close eye on the other chimera whenever he noticed his blood was a little different.

He had been watching him for three more days, the seventh day of his own bleeding, and there wasn't anything wrong. Corey was going strong as ever, and his powers were just as good. 

Theo couldn't say the same. He was trying not to think too hard about it again, but he was starting to notice that he was becoming tired more easily and if he wanted to full-shift, it took more effort. Corey was fine, however, so Theo put his own health on the backburner to make sure that it stayed that way.

He'd even asked Corey to show him how quick he could turn invisible, passing it off as just being amused by it. Luckily enough, Mason and Alec backed him up genuinely, and Theo was able to keep his cover for a little while more.

Nine days in and Theo stopped watching Corey so carefully, the younger chimera doing just fine. Meanwhile, Theo was getting better. He still looked the same, not any paler or more tired, and just decided that his recent tiredness was a result of having a job, helping the pack, and going to class, which would take a lot out of everyone. He knew that Mason was prone to falling asleep way too early at night, and even Liam nodded off on his shoulder sometimes.

There was no reason to be anxious about anything, and that relieved him as he sat on Liam's couch. The two of them were just hanging out with Alec, watching a movie and ignoring Alec's weird stares on Theo's part. The chimera's arms were splayed across the back of the couch, one behind Liam but careful not to touch, and the other further away from Alec since he was all the way on the other side of the couch, away from Theo. He smiled contentedly to himself with a small sigh as he remembered that everything was okay for the moment.

Theo then remembered that the point of a moment was that they were very short, since the back door of Liam's house banged open and all three of them whipped their heads around to see what was happening. Mason was coming in fast, Corey hot on his heels, the human's face streaked with panicked tears. "Liam!" He yelled even before they could see him, bursting into the living room doorway. "Liam!"

"What, Mason?" Liam asked, springing to his feet and checking his best friend for injury. He held onto Mason's shoulders and Mason did the same to him and shook his head. "What is it?"

"No, no, it's Corey," Mason cried out, more of a breath than anything. Theo's eyes widened and flitted over to Corey, who was wringing his hands, and fear set into his own chest. _He had been so careful to watch._ "W-we were at his house and his nose started bleeding m-mercury again!"

Liam sucked in a sharp breath and turned to Corey, who nodded quickly and put his hand up to his now-clean nose subconsciously. Alec looked around in confusion, waiting for an answer no one gave him, and his eyes landed on Theo when his heartbeat skyrocketed. "What's going on?" The youngest asked in distress.

"When did this happen?" Liam asked calmly, ignoring the beta and holding Corey's face in his hands, a little uncomfortable considering Corey's height compared to his. "Has this happened before?"

"Not since he was about to die!" Mason exclaimed almost hysterically, rushing over to wrap his arms around his boyfriend. Corey stayed quiet and nodded again, just telling Liam what he needed to know without alarming Mason any further. 

"Alright, what the Hell is up with mercury?" Alec asked desperately again.

"Why don't you sit down," Liam suggested, awkwardly maneuvering Corey so that he was sitting in the recliner even as Mason clung onto him. "Mase-"

In any other time, Theo would have been amused at the way Mason immediately switched to holding onto Liam, but he was too busy trying not to work himself into a panic of his own. He didn't even want to consider the possibilities of what was going to happen to Corey if the bleeding continued. He was stronger than the rest of the chimeras, and he doubted the others could last as long as he did if they started to malfunction.

"We were just eating lunch and my nose started to bleed," Corey said meekly, obviously worried even though he was trying to hide it. "It stopped pretty quick, but I have no idea what happened. I wasn't doing anything to make it bleed or trigger the process."

"You didn't come into contact with any wolfsbane, did you?" Liam asked, managing to pry Mason off of him. He sat on the leg of the chair instead and waited for Liam to talk more. "Didn't inhale any, eat, drink?"

Corey shook his head. "No, I would have been able to smell it."

"Didn't get hurt or sick recently?" Liam sounded like some kind of a doctor

"No, I've just been at home or at school. No problems."

"What about your shift? Can you still go invisible?" 

Corey switched in and out of visibility twice, showing Liam that he was all good, and Mason, Liam, and Theo all sighed with relief. "Okay good. If you're feeling alright and your shift is fine, we still can work with this."

"How the Hell is someone supposed to _'work with this?'" _ Mason scoffed, covering his face. He drew out the words in a whine as he said "Jesus Christ..."

"Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?" Alec yelled over the slight commotion. Liam turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"Language," was all he said, and Alec balked in disbelief. "We're gonna fix this, okay? There has to be something that we can do for this," Liam said calmly, using each of his hands to rub both Mason and Corey's shoulders. 

Theo was dreading the moment someone finally turned around to look at him, the only one sitting down out of sheer shock, but Liam slowly craned around to level him with an expectant stare. "Do you know anything about this?" He asked as gently as possible, but Theo could hear the anxiety in his voice for his friend. Theo's lips parted the slightest bit as he realized that he didn't. 

One thing that had come to light in Theo's mind, even through all of the mixed signals and repressed feelings, was that Theo had gotten into the habit of doing anything to help Liam and his friends. It had become a second nature to him that if Liam needed help, whether it was for studying for his senior year tests, an extra man in a fight, or some knowledge, Theo always hopped to his feet to give him some assistance. This time, his blood ran cold. There was nothing he could do. 

"I..." Theo stuttered, finding that air was hard to come by at the realization. "I don't know what to do for this."

Liam clenched his jaw and Theo could already tell he was biting his tongue. He also didn't miss the furrow of his brow when he turned back to Mason and Corey, who were both holding each other tightly like one had just found out the other had cancer. It made Theo feel sick to his stomach when he realized that the danger of this could be just as bad. He couldn't even imagine if it were someone he loved the way Mason loved Corey who was starting to show the signs.

Alec collapsed back onto the couch next to Theo in frustration, forgetting to blatantly avoid him. He reminded Theo of both Stiles and Liam in the way he could fume like a toddler when he was annoyed and not getting something he wanted, and knew that one thing that set Alec off was being left out of something important. 

"If it's okay, Corey, I'm going to want to watch you for awhile," Liam said, looking at Corey sympathetically. "Just to make sure that nothing happens to you, and if it does, we can catch it in time. I don't feel right about leaving you alone when you're not well."

Corey nodded, scared. "You want me to stay here?"

"In the guest room. You know where it is if you want to go lay down anytime." 

The younger chimera just shook his head and took a deep breath. "Not now. I think we need to focus on figuring out why this is happening."

__

Alec eventually had the chimera situation explained to him, which Theo was pretty sure made Alec even more wary of him by the end. Theo had been the one to uncomfortably explain what a chimera even was and how mercury came into it. "All of us were made with mercury, to make us more powerful and strong. If you started to bleed it..." The words pained Theo to say. It brought him right back to a few nights before.

"It meant that the human body was rejecting what the Dread Doctors did to it, and that they were going to die. Normally it was because the Doctors came and killed them themselves," Corey explained.

"But we don't-" Theo butted in, but then realized that what he was about to say was a lot more serious than a simple interruption. He took a breath and composed himself first, bracing himself for the questions that would soon come his way. "We don't know if the mercury will kill him."

Mason winced at the word "kill" and Liam gave him a look of disapproval, but the four-letter word for "die" was really the only one Theo could use. He wasn't about to lie to them when he didn't need to. Corey didn't deserve to be in that situation. He'd get the truth if it meant it could help him. "So what are you planning on doing?" Corey asked shakily, still keeping up the facade of calmness. He found Mason's hand as they stood around the table. 

"For now? We're going to just make sure that you're not being affected by mercury poisoning," Liam said. Theo's eyes widened. He hadn't even thought about that. "Speaking of which, Mason, you can't touch him when he's bleeding. You're at risk here too."

Corey let go of Mason's hand and the human whined. "No, come on!" He groaned. 

"I'm sorry, it's for your own good. It'll be over soon enough, we're going to make sure that this gets resolved. For now, we need to do some more research and make sure that you're not in immediate risk, Corey."

Corey had a sullen look on his face as he began to walk off towards the stairs when the conversation went dry, and everyone else looked down at the dark wood of the kitchen table as though it was going to grant them the answers they needed. Theo's mouth was dry.

He watched as Corey went up the stairs slowly and decided to follow, not listening if anyone was going to protest. They didn't. Corey only looked at him questioningly before the bored and sad look came back over his face and he continued upwards.

Theo had stayed in the guest room before, just for a night before he moved into his own apartment. Liam's family had been gracious enough to set it up for him and let him in even through all of the supernatural nonsense, and he had no doubt they'd do the same for Corey, although the situation was different. Something hit him in the stomach with a pang when he imagined Corey dying in those same sheets, not popping back up like Theo did. Really, they should have switched places.

Corey didn't ask him why he was helping him get into the bed to lay down, just letting Theo pull the covers down for him until he took them away to put them back up. He watched the other chimera with idle interest as he milled around the room, looking for things for him. Neither said anything when Theo put a glass of water by his bed and plugged in Corey's phone for him on the end table.

If he couldn't help Corey with some kind of miracle cure, he wanted to do anything he could. "Theo?" Corey said as Theo was about to walk out. He paused in the doorway. "Thanks."

And what Theo wanted to say was that he was sorry, sorry that he couldn't help him and for so much more, but he knew that Corey wouldn't listen. He wouldn't know what he was talking about or even believe it to be true. So Theo took a deep breath, nodded once, and left the door cracked after he left.

Alec had managed to drag Mason home, convincing him that Corey needed to sleep and that he could still call and text, so Theo returned downstairs alone to find Liam leaning over the kitchen table, fingers splayed across it and deep in thought. His eyebrows were drawn together frustratedly, still looking like he wanted to ask the table for advice.

Theo had gotten himself out of the habit for his own good, but he came and stood next to Liam. He watched the side of his face until he turned to look at him, and Theo realized the mistake he had just made now that he had nothing to say. "Was there anything..." Liam trailed off, trying to make a decision on which path to take. He chose the one Theo didn't know how to answer. "Was there anything that you knew about the Dread Doctors that could do anything for him? A cure, a shot?"

Theo's jaw clenched and he shook his head slowly. The Doctors had always been brutal and unforgiving, that was no secret; when they wanted someone dead, they were dead. The only way Theo revived the lost chimeras was with Douglas' blood, but he was gone, leaving nothing. Theo's brain was running wild with that one. What he'd once used maliciously was the only thing they needed now, and it didn't even exist now.

"No," Theo said weakly, shaking his head. Liam wilted. "I..."

"It's whatever," Liam said, pushing off the table and walking further into his kitchen to rest his head against the cool surface of his fridge. Theo tasted metal as he heard Liam take a few calming breaths. "You should probably go."

Theo nodded, stunned, and walked out with his hands in his pockets, pretending that it didn't hurt, although, what was he supposed to expect?

__

He was back at Liam's house the next day, a Sunday, to check on Corey. Mason was there too and Alec had shown up to keep Mason from getting too sappy with him, and Theo could tell Liam was grateful for their presence. His...well, Theo wasn't sure about that.

Corey was doing okay, not any weaker than usual, just a little leaky like he was the day before, which helped to set Theo at ease. He was relieved that what he'd kept a secret wasn't appearing to be taking a toll on Corey just yet, at least, and hoped that it wouldn't. Liam decided that if Corey stayed stable and felt up to it, he should still try and go to school and make sure they don't bring up any suspicion.

Corey seemed to be elated at that news, obviously not appreciating how limited he was being put basically in quarantine, and Theo was as well. Corey sat out in the living room with Mason's hand in his, watching TV like nothing had even happened, and Alec was leaned over the coffee table with the homework he'd brought over.

Theo still didn't know where to go. Liam had his laptop on the kitchen counter with several tabs open about mercury poisoning and old emails from Scott about chimeras, looking concentrated and determined. Theo slowly crept up to him and pulled the barstool next to him out from under the island and let his eyes fall to Liam's computer screen.

Liam also had a document open, writing down bullet points of information he thought might be helpful, involving the names of all living chimeras, symptoms of human mercury poisoning for Mason's sake, and copy and pasted paragraphs from Scott's poorly-written emails. Theo had never seen him type quite so fast and with so much purpose before.

"Hey," Liam said when he decided to acknowledge Theo's presence, the first word spoken to him that day. He switched to another tab, an open email, and turned to the chimera. "I'm sorry I asked you about the Dread Doctors." He said this even as Theo caught his own name on the email, describing him in Scott and Stiles' words as _suspicious_ and a _person of interest._ Theo didn't know what to say. "I don't know why I thought you would have known of a cure. They didn't tell you much, anyway."

"Yeah," Theo agreed softly, surprised Liam understood, but not showing it. His body felt tense as Liam talked to him, and his skin was just a little sweaty for a different reason than normal. "Sorry I can't..."

"It's okay," Liam interrupted, not knowing how much Theo needed to finish his sentence. The chimera's mouth shut with a click. Theo couldn't read the expression in his eyes as he said, "What about you? Are you doing okay?"

Theo knew he meant the mercury situation, but Theo had several other problems coming to the surface of his mind, and the answer to all of them was _no_. Still, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing out of the ordinary." It stung how easy lying to him was. Liam eyed him critically, looking him up and down in a way that would have once sent shivers up Theo's spine. 

"Okay," Liam said slowly, although not all the way convinced. "If anything changes, let me know." Theo still sat tense, worried, and Liam seemed to understand. "You know I'm not mad-"

The last word was muted by the sound of Mason calling out from the living room, his name again, which made both of them rise to attention. "A car just pulled into your driveway!"

They didn't get to see who it was coming up the driveway before they were already knocking at the front door desperately, all of the supernaturals in the room being able to scent their anxiety and fear as they all came into the foyer. Liam opened the door, fumbling with the lock, to see a familiar face that hadn't been around Beacon Hills in a year and a half.

"Oh, thank God," She cried, falling into Liam's arms, dark brown curls tickling his nose as his eyes widened. "I wasn't sure if you would still be here."

Theo went still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I'm guessing you can already tell who this is, but if you can't, I won't tell you ;) 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It took me a little while to write, but I'm super excited to have it published now. I'd love to hear your feedback on it! x


	3. Powerful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo gets worse, then better, then worse, but he's stronger than the others, so what's the point in worrying?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting the impression that you're upset Hayden's back...uh, sorry...?
> 
> TW for fellow emetophobics (if any are reading): Someone almost throws up while Liam and Alec are having an argument, but it's very brief and nothing happens other than that. Anything else that comes from the mouth is just bleeding. I would normally not include a scene like this since I feel like using nausea/vomiting for emphasis is unnecessary and gross, but it did serve a purpose here.

Hayden hadn't changed much since last time Theo saw her a year ago. She dressed mostly the same, dark and light colors mixed, and wore her hair down with the same doe-eyed expression on her face wherever she went. 

Last Theo had heard of her, she was going to school in Beachwood and was planning on majoring in English after she graduated, and according to Corey based on her social media, had had a string of steady boyfriends and girlfriends in the last few months. Overall, she was happy and let Liam get over her, which put Theo at ease. The oldest chimera hadn't planned on seeing her again, at least not so soon, but there she was, her arms wrapped around her ex-boyfriend's neck and standing in the middle of Liam's foyer.

Something settled deep in the pit of Theo's stomach that he wanted to ignore as he watched her so close to him, and he stepped back behind Alec, who was once again looking at the whole situation with confusion. "Hayden..." Liam said awkwardly, hugging her back but shooting a look in Mason's direction that made Theo feel a little better. "Are you okay? What are you doing here?"

Corey's eyes flitted between Theo and Hayden as the girl took a deep breath and rose her shoulders with it. "I'm so sorry for showing up out of nowhere like this after everything, but I just didn't know who else to go to for this with Scott gone at college and all, and I just..." Hayden caught her breath slowly and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they glowed gold. "I got a nosebleed."

In any other occasion, she would have sounded ridiculous, coming all the way back to Beacon Hills for a bloody nose, but instead of laughter, it put a sinking feeling in everyone's chests. She looked at everyone, fear evident in the pupils of her now unshifted eyes, and her lips parted when she realized they had been expecting this. "W-what's going on?" Hayden asked quietly, the strong girl looking weak all over again.

Theo remembered when she looked like that all the time at his hand, scaring her into compliance, and it still wasn't a good look on her. It made him want to sink back even further. 

"I've been having them too," Corey said, walking over and reaching out to pull her into a hug. "It's good to see you again, Hayden. I'm sorry. I should have told you."

Hayden was too shaken to be mad at any of them, so she shook her head and looked at Liam again. "How long has this been happening? Am I going to die?"

There was that question again, the uncertain one that made Theo nauseous. Metal stung his mouth, so he stayed quiet with everyone else. Hayden's bottom lip quivered and Liam pulled her into another hug, letting her cry it out much like Corey had once Theo left the guest room. The scent of salty tears laced through the air and Alec looked to Theo with a question in his eyes.

"Is she a chimera too?" He whispered as if Hayden couldn't hear him, and Theo nodded, unable to take his eyes off the pair still wrapped up in an embrace. 

It was his fault, after all. All he could really do was keep his eyes open and watch as the life he ruined got worse.

__

Theo hated lying to Liam. He'd done it so much in his life that he had sort of promised himself that he wouldn't do it anymore, but he wasn't about to admit that he was bleeding like Corey and Hayden were, since he would be fine. He was the first, the most powerful, and was built without the possibility of failing. He'd received the most major of anything, a heart, which put him ahead of the others by a long way. Putting the attention on himself would just make it worse for the others since he didn't need it.

They didn't deserve it, anyway. Hayden should be able to go to her fancy school an hour away the next day and Corey shouldn't have to worry about his classmates seeing his eyes flood with liquid silver, so Theo did what he could to help.

For the most part, the other two were doing better than him, but Theo wouldn't know that. They never really told him much, and Liam didn't go into detail when he updated the others so that they wouldn't get nervous. Theo just assumed that their headaches were there and just as bad and that their stomachs churned with every movement they made, like they were seconds away from throwing up everywhere no matter what they did. He just trudged upstairs with weak legs and shaky fingers thinking that Corey and Hayden were in the same condition.

_But I'm not sick,_ Theo told himself. _It's just sympathy illness at this point. You're going to be fine, they won't._

He walked into the guest room that Hayden was now staying in, carrying a glass of water that cooled his sweaty hand. She looked up from her phone that she was using as a distraction and eyed him critically. "Thanks," She said after awhile, guarded. Theo just nodded and walked out as though he was some kind of a servant.

The next time he came back to bring her some food at Liam's request, she thanked him again but stopped him. "Hey," She called quietly, and Theo stopped and turned to her. "Are you sure you're okay? You're pale."

Theo bristled, incredulous. He looked fine, he saw himself in a mirror every time he walked down Liam's upstairs hallway. "Do you care?"

Hayden opened her mouth to answer and shut it, giving Theo all he needed to know before he disappeared back downstairs.

Corey was still sticking around, now even more concerned, and when Theo walked down into the kitchen Theo was spitting into the sink to rid his mouth of silvery-red blood. Theo ran a hand through his hair and tried to make himself look better just in case Hayden was right. The stress must have been really getting to him.

"No, no, it's definitely mercury," Liam said into his phone, pacing around the wood of the kitchen floor that had become sort of a homebase. He chewed on the nail of his thumb as he waited for a response. "It's not that bad. They're just bleeding a little bit, but I'm afraid that it could get worse later on, is all."

"Deaton," Mason said, seeing the confused look Theo didn't know he had on. Corey spit out a little more blood, this time mostly red, and the human rubbed his back.

Theo took a seat next to Alec at the table, mirroring his actions as he put his head in his arms. He listened to Liam's phone call through the wood of the table, muffled, and understandably a little woody. His hearing wasn't all it used to be, but he could still hear the unsteady footsteps on the floor and the nerves in Liam's voice. "Corey's the worst," Liam said, and Theo shut his eyes, little black spots coming over his vision, not altogether out of the ordinary. "What do you _mean_ you have nothing that can-ugh!" Liam groaned suddenly, rubbing his unoccupied hand through his hair. "Alright, fine. No, it's okay. Bye." Liam hung up on Deaton and slammed his phone down on the table in frustration, sending waves of vibration through the wood right to Theo's aching head. Theo rose his head and looked at Liam. "Deaton's got nothing, if you couldn't already tell. He just told me to keep an eye on them and that he'll do a little more research, but chimeras weren't exactly a part of his skillset until Theo showed up."

Theo was a little too tired to think about that one, so he leaned back in his chair, shut his eyes, and tilted his head towards the ceiling. The ceiling fan was on, helping him to cool down a little from the feverishness, and he inhaled deeply before looking at Liam again. "I remembered something," Theo said calmly, and Liam turned to him and raised his eyebrow. "Something that the Doctors tested once."

"What is it?" Liam asked, yanking out the chair across from him and looking intently into Theo's eyes. Theo hoped now more than ever that he wasn't visibly sweating like Corey was. 

"Sometimes, in the early stages before Hayden and Corey were turned, they showed a little mercy and tried to start over." Theo cringed when he remembered seeing it. "They injected them with an almost lethal amount of wolfsbane to try and kill the chimera part so that they'd become human again, but it only worked twice out of twenty."

"Well, how did the other two die?" Mason asked, and even Alec seemed to be listening to him for once. 

Theo shrugged. "I don't know, but I know they're not still around."

"So they could have been affected by the wolfsbane after they survived it temporarily," Alec said, putting the pieces together and nodding, a grim look on the teenager's face.

"That's nine out of ten. I don't like those odds," Liam decided, taking a shaky breath and standing up. "We're not doing that. Their bodies could be too weak at this point, it's going to kill the human part too."

"Can you guys wait to talk about 'killing the human part' when Corey isn't right here?" Mason scoffed, looking more alarmed than Corey did. "And damn right you're not going to do that. I don't know what it feels like, but it sounds fucking painful. There has to be another way."

Of course, Theo knew another way, but he was hoping that there was a different one. The gears seemed to be turning in Liam's head too, remembering what their old alpha did the last time the chimeras were in trouble. It didn't take then, but it kept them alive.

Theo knew exactly what he was saying, and he felt his heart drop. If he were the ones in Hayden and Corey's position, he'd have no hope at all. Scott wouldn't bite him even if he was going to die. "There's always Scott," Liam whispered more to himself than anyone else, but Theo shut his eyes again and turned away to rest.

"Is that a good option?" Alec asked as Corey groaned, complaining of the headache that was starting to take over, and Liam shrugged uncertainly. "You said that they might not survive the bite. Hayden almost died the last time, would it be okay the second time?"

"I don't know, Alec!" Liam blew up, the pressure releasing, causing the beta to reel back in his seat and scowl. Alec was one of the only ones who could defiantly deal with Liam's outbursts besides Theo, and at that moment, he was the only one while Theo was focused on the cool table under his fingertips instead. "Christ, I don't know! We're going to have to try, but if it's all for nothing, then what?"

"Let it progress more, then!" Alec said, the beta never straying away from his brutal logic. "If they're not at immediate risk of dying, then why worsen it with a bite now?"

Mason took a coughing Corey out of the room with his hands on his shoulders as Alec rose to his feet. "Their bodies could be too weak by the time Scott gets here."

"Their bodies might not be ready for the transition _now!"_

Theo's stomach rolled over and shivers ran up his forearms, making the hair stand on end as Alec rose his voice, the noise slowly becoming too much. He wondered if Hayden or Corey needed help blocking out the sound, but the thought was interrupted by a repressed gag.

"Why not bite them yourself? You're the _alpha_, aren't you?" Alec demanded, and Liam seethed. 

"I'm not Scott! I don't have that power! It's like the bite of a puppy, it won't do anything to save them!"

Theo tasted acid and metal in the back of his throat and swallowed convulsively, fighting to keep it down before his stomach spilled onto Alec's shoes. He opened his eyes but kept his mouth shut tight as he sighed through his nose in relief. The nausea died down. It must have been nothing after all. 

If he left right then, Liam would be suspicious of him, but suspicion was better than the truth, after all. But what if Liam thought that Theo was responsible for the mercury poisoning after all? What would he do then? Exile him from the pack, send him back to Hell, kill him himself? It just made the sick feeling come back and he felt the blood in his veins bubble up with the silvery substance again.

"Theo?" Liam asked suddenly, breaking him out of his thoughts. For a second, Theo thought he was going to ask him if he was okay, if he looked as bad on the outside as he felt on the inside. "What do you think we should do?"

_Maybe I am sick, _Theo thought as he swallowed again. _And I don't want Hayden and Corey to go through this, but they could die if they have the bite too early when they don't need it._ "Wait it out," Theo choked out, looking at Liam for reassurance, making sure that he didn't make the 'wrong' decision. "If they get the bite too early, the wolf will just try and kill the chimera. It won't do anything good." Liam still looked unsure but grateful for a solid answer, and Alec just looked mildly surprised that Theo had agreed with him. "You know, I have to be at work tomorrow, if you guys don't mind me leaving. I don't seem to be much help anyway."

Liam was quiet for a second, but nodded, lips slightly parted. "Yeah," He agreed, chewing on his thumbnail again. "Alec, can you go check up on Corey?"

Alec headed upstairs and Theo pulled away from the table, his legs a little bit shaky as he went. Yep, something was wrong. He was planning on going home and just waiting for it to be over like he normally did, but a hand on the already warm skin of his forearm stopped him. "Hey," Liam said. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem different."

He wasn't wrong. Even if he looked fine, he was quiet and less confrontational. Theo shook his arm away from Liam's grasp and scowled. "I told you, I'm fine. I just have to do things for my classes and there's not a lot I can do here." Theo didn't get to see Liam's stunned expression as he walked away and out the front door to his truck.

As far as Theo was concerned, all he had to do was sleep it off and bleed it out, since it always seemed to work. It wasn't like he had many options, anyway. All he could do was stay strong for Corey, who was ultimately the worst (or so he thought) and go with whatever Liam said, being the standing alpha and all. 

Theo sighed as he stumbled into his house. He needed a shower to wash away the sweat he was hiding under his clothes, so he slowly shucked off all his clothing when he got into the bathroom. He turned the water on cold, not wanting anymore heat on himself, and stepped under the spray with a deep breath.

As he shut his eyes and got his hair wet, Theo thought about who he had just walked away from and why he did it. At any other time, Theo would have never pulled away from the rare touches he got from Liam. In fact, he often had to stop himself from leaning too far into it. The highlights of his day were automatically things like their shoulders touching when they sat near each other or hands brushing when they reached for the same thing on a table. Today, however, Theo was too frazzled and wanted to focus on one thing.

He was going to be okay. Even if he was doing worse than he had any of the times before, Theo was sure that this whole thing would pass. He was never considered a failure, and was never the one who needed to be bitten to be saved. What he said about Hayden years ago still remained true: she wasn't as strong as he was. If anyone was going to die, it would be the others. That didn't make him feel better, of course, but it helped to convince him that he could still be there to help them.

He reached for the shampoo, the kind that Liam said smelled of cinnamon and had once used when he stayed the night, effectively driving Theo insane, when the bitter taste of mercury came into his throat again. He spit it out onto the floor and the scent was party masked by the cinnamon-vanilla scent that now reminded him of Liam no matter what when he squoze it into his hand. 

He ran his fingers through his hair and breathed in the scent. He could still smell Liam's natural scent on his forearm, mixing just right with the sweet spiciness of the soap, filling the shower with a pleasant vibe that Theo didn't want to wash away. He inhaled deeper, the corners of his lips turning up ever so slightly. _There_ was the reason he hadn't just booked it out of Beacon Hills like Hayden had, the feelings he got when Liam was around him.

Before he realized what he was doing, he was picturing Liam's fingers being the ones rubbing his scalp in tiny circles, and he let out a tiny sigh as he washed the soap away when it lathered too much. The smell still stayed behind and it made Theo the slightest bit dizzy.

He didn't register that the lightheadedness wasn't going away for a few more minutes, too caught up in thinking about Liam. It temporarily made him forget about how shitty he was feeling, picturing just how hot Liam looked when he was fired up like when he was trying to put Alec back in his place, so he only tasted the mercury once it was coating the entire inside of his mouth.

It was stupid to do, but he shut his eyes and opened his mouth, catching the cool water in it and swishing it around to get the taste out. He spat it onto the tiled floor, eyes still shut and water pelting against his face while it was tilted upwards. 

He let the water roll out in a stream, no force to it so that it all just dripped down his chin and neck a few more mouthfuls. On the last one, it all poured out, but Theo bristled as it kept going.

He opened his eyes and saw his hand out of the corner of his eye, some of the water having trailed down his arm from his mouth. His eyes opened wider when he saw the shininess of it and swiped his fingers onto the skin below his mouth, watching as they all turned a sickly silver.

That was the widest his eyes got before black spots began to dance in the corners of his vision, and he couldn't even try to catch himself before his bare feet were slipping on the tiles and his head bashed against the tiled wall as he slid down.

His last thought was of Liam before he dipped completely out of consciousness, his whispered name hanging off silver-stained lips in a weak plea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm gonna leave it here. Feel free to yell at me in the comments until the next part is out ;)
> 
> Side note: Really really REALLY sorry if this seems inconsistent. I honestly don't feel very confident in this chapter.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!


	4. Found

Theo woke up to another jet of water hitting him straight in the middle of one of his glassy green eyes, having had no idea how much time he spent in the shower. He couldn't feel the tips of his fingers and his head was still pounding uncomfortably, and the only thing he could bring himself to do was turn his head so that the jet wasn't pounding into his pupil again. His vision was still blurry and unfocused as he blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes. 

The skin of his thighs felt slick but stiff at the same time, and Theo just barely had time to see the shininess all over them and recall what happened the night before. He briefly remembered passing out in the shower, but nothing else was coming to mind. He couldn't remember anything before he had gotten in and turned the water on, nothing of who he had talked to or where he had been. 

There wasn't much time for him left, to think or to stay awake, he realized as his eyes started to close. He fell back into a dreamless sleep, chin pressed against his bare chest.

Theo dipped in and out of consciousness for hours after that, never being awake quite long enough to put everything together, but getting little bits of it along the way. The second time, all he could note that the small window in his bathroom showed that night had fallen, leaving him to wonder how long he had been there before the darkness from outside the window was replicated over his vision again. 

The third time, Theo could feel the temperature around him and could tell that he was shaking, shivering under the water that had long since run cold when the tank ran out. Every icy hit to his shoulders and back made his teeth chatter more and he found that he couldn't do more than raise his hand to brush the wet strands of hair out of his eyes before he was exhausted again. At one point during that spell, Theo had accidentally caught water in his mouth and coughed it back up, bringing sharp mercury into his mouth, and being the only liquid in his dry mouth, he couldn't wash it out without bringing more up. He fell back under with the taste irritating the back of his throat.

Then he remembered the pack meeting. Theo's eyes didn't open, but the thoughts came back, visions that he could only feel through vague fuzziness. There was the brief impression of the smells of the house, like wood and a pine candle, but also the ones of Liam's pack that had floated through the air.

Those thoughts were continued when he woke up for the fifth time. Corey, Alec, Hayden, Mason, Liam. He blinked his eyes open heavily and pulled his tongue away from the roof of his mouth dryly, the internal plea for help going unanswered. He knew who he wanted to be there to help him, but even in his state, Theo knew it couldn't happen.

If Liam were there and in a perfect world, he would drop down next to him and brush the hair out of his face that kept falling, asking him if he was still with him and assuring him that he was going to be okay. He'd wrap Theo in a towel and then a hug and somehow fix him just like Liam always managed to, taking the pain away without trying and being there for the recovery, his blue eyes looking at him just as adoringly as Theo was sure they would never. He'd seen that shine before, one reserved for Hayden when they were dating before, and the tiny smile he didn't know he had faded at the thought. They were probably back at Liam's house that second, making up, Hayden being the one in distress and Liam being her savior as usual.

Still, Theo could almost feel the way Liam's touch felt on his arm from hours before, how long ago still uncertain, and it made him feel warmer even in the freezing cold. 

He supposed that if he was going to die there, he would have lived that last day just fine. Liam being the last person he ever spoke to wasn't that bad of a deal.

Theo began to say his goodbyes as he felt the dizziness start to take over again, just then realizing that every time he fell asleep, he didn't know if he'd wake back up again. He looked at the tiles across from him, stained silver from his blood, and shut his eyes.

The finality of it all, he thought, was rather poetic, even if it wasn't the violent way he expected to go out.

_

Theo had said goodbye to his life an hour before. He mentally went through all of his belongings and the people he knew while he still had the capacity to do so, checking off each one of them in his head. He said goodbye to nights spend sleeping in his car and getting woken up by the deputies, and tried to remember badge numbers and last names before he drifted off, Parrish, Wilson, Sinclair, Bennett. To the stray cat that sometimes roamed into his backyard and begged for a little bit of food, and the times that he decided to sit with it and watch as it lapped up some water in a little dish. To Scott, Stiles, Malia, Lydia, Kira, no matter what they thought of him now, to Allison, who he had never even met. Hayden, Mason, Corey, Alec, thanking them for giving him a second, third, and fourth chance even if they didn't want to, and Liam for so much more, for forcing them, for believing in him, for being worried even if Theo pushed him away. Blue eyes were on his mind, so much so that he couldn't remember to regret lying to him about how sick he felt.

He had said what he needed to, all in his head, some whispered out into the air, but he hadn't expected it all to be premature. The creaking of the shower's temperature knobs turning and the sudden cold woke him up slowly, groggily, until he managed to open his eyes just a fraction of an inch. There was a familiar scent in the room with him now, but not the one he had been thinking about, and he faintly heard panicked breaths through his pounding ears and rushing blood.

"Please, please," A small, desperate voice sad. "Oh my God, Theo, please, _please_ wake up!"

A strike to his cheek made his eye shut again, but he fought to stay awake, just barely registering that there was actually someone there with him and he wasn't dreaming. Another followed, that of a small hand that smelled of vanilla scented lotion and the sound of a cried-out plea. Hayden. 

Even in his daze, Theo was surprised to know that she was the one so desperately pleading for him to wake up. "Theo, Theo!" She said firmly as though he was a small child she was trying to reason with, choking back her emotions. Theo could fuzzily picture her with a stern expression on her face. "Theo, you-you c-can't die. You have something to live for, Theo, someone!" She cried, distraught, and Theo wondered silently for just a moment if she knew about Liam before he was hit again. 

Theo was too numb to feel anything around him, just barely able to tell that there was a towel on him based on the light scratchiness on his fingertips, so he couldn't help but find the whole thing a little funny, even in the twisted way it was. Hayden hitting him once again when he was already close to death, but this time trying to save him instead of being the catalyst? And really, what did she expect to happen? For his healing to kick in, for Scott to save him? He wanted to tell her to just leave him in the shower, run far away and get herself a cure. Funny indeed. 

Theo always had had a thing for dark humor, after all.

"Theo?" Hayden gasped when he accidentally fluttered his eyelids. Four light smacks to his face - she really needed to work on her bedside manner if she was really considering studying nursing - and Theo managed to open his eyes even if it was only so she'd stop. "Oh my God, holy fuck!"

The slight body heat that he felt around him was suddenly gone, and Hayden's voice slowly sounded like it was getting louder and louder along with everything else in the room; her footsteps on the tiles, the light dripping of the showerhead, his irregular and weak heartbeat. "Hey! Hey, Hi!" She said breathlessly, obviously shaken, and Theo was only about fifty percent sure she wasn't talking to him. "He's still alive!"

Just vaguely, Theo heard the response through Hayden's phone, though he couldn't recognize it at first. "_WHAT?_ Still _alive?"_

"I came in to check up on him like you said and his door was unlocked, he must have gotten into the shower and he probably collapsed-"

"Collapsed? Is he okay?"

The relief in Hayden's voice faded noticeably. "F-for now. You need to get here, he was bleeding a lot, and he's-he's fading in and out. I don't even know if he's awake right now," She said seriously and as clearly as she could through stress, and if Theo were more awake, he may have admired it. "You have to get here fast."

"Alright, alright! I, um, keep him warm. Tell Theo I'll be there soon."

Something about the panicked way his name was said made Theo's heart jump and keep leaping. "Liam?" He croaked with all the strength he had, which wasn't much at all, and opened up both of his now-dull eyes about halfway. He felt his head start to go fuzzy again, but he fought it. Hayden whipped around to look at him, and it may have been his deliriousness, but he swore he saw a relieved and frantic smile.

"He's coming," she assured, out of breath, putting one of her hands on his back. Theo felt his heart pumping as though it was in the back of his throat and making its way into his mouth, too fast, too hard, too much. She took her hand away, slick with mercury and water, but Theo didn't get to care about her panic at the sight. 

"Liam?"

"He'll be here," Hayden said again, nodding her head enthusiastically, more to convince herself than him. She doubted he'd even notice. "You just have to stay awake, okay? Stay awake for Liam."

_"Liam?"_

"I'll be there soon, baby, I promise." Theo didn't know if Liam was still on the phone or if he imagined his voice nearby, but either way, Theo fought to follow his instructions and keep his eyes open.

However, Theo had learned that night already that following instructions didn't mean he wouldn't fail.

__

Things were beeping. He was cold and stiff, and the first thing he noticed about his surroundings was that he didn't like the smell. He couldn't pay attention to how his arms and legs felt, since the pain that was now coursing through him, the epicenter being the pit of his stomach, made him nauseated and even dizzier than before, just like how it had been before he blacked out. Pulsing, unordinary, tingling and burning.

He blinked his eyes open only twice before someone was talking to him - scolding him? - and he was put back into total darkness.

__

Harsh, freezing metal was all around him, but not the way it had been before in the past weeks. He was shivering again, but before he even opened his eyes, he could tell he was dry. There was still a bit of slightly damp hair stuck to his face, but he couldn't bring himself to reach up and fix it just yet.

As soon as he opened his mouth to check what he could taste, a groan slipped out of his throat and finally made it feel clear again. He furrowed his brow at the sound and forced himself to open his eyes only to be shot with light.

"Theo?" Someone asked next to him, half-asleep. Theo took his first deep breath and felt heavier, but he was more focused on the sleepy, comforting scent. He breathed it in and realized what it was with a start. A tiny smile came over his lips, just the corners of his mouth turning up lazily. He wanted to reach out, ask what had happened, say all the things that he knew he shouldn't, but all he could do was mumble like there was cotton in his mouth. "Theo!" Liam exclaimed, suddenly wide awake and shooting up to sit straight in his chair.

That movement convinced Theo to open his eyes, blinking away from the bright light. It took him a minute to realize where he was, but the scent of jars of mountain ash and eye of newt (or whatever that suspiciously knowledgeable veterinarian stocked) brought him back. He didn't think about it for long, since most importantly, he turned his head to see two baby-blue eyes looking at him with curiosity and concern a sight he hadn't seen in months. The last time Liam looked at him like that was when he was shot at the hospital. 

"Hey," Theo managed to choke out of a dry mouth, knowing it was way too casual. 

"You're awake, holy shit! Can you sit up? How are you feeling?" Liam asked all at once, putting a warm hand on his bare shoulder blade and helping him sit up on the table. Theo didn't answer at first, much more enthralled with the cool water bottle Liam handed him even though he wanted to talk. He just couldn't find the words; his brain still felt far too fuzzy and confused. "'Hey?' Theo, what the Hell?"

Liam socked him in the arm, and Theo scowled but broke into a small, weak smile. "What was that for?" Theo scoffed, rubbing the skin of his bicep, just then noticing that he was half naked in front of him. He did not, however, notice the way Liam's eyes dropped down to the hard muscles of his arms. 

"You scared the Hell out of me! Did you think you were going to get away with a 'hey?'"

"But why did you punch me?" Theo asked, none short of sarcasm even as he felt his heartbeat start trying to even its pace out again. He must have lost a lot of blood. 

"Well, I wasn't about to punch you in the face," Liam reasoned. Theo swung his legs so they hung over the side of the table instead of having them straight out in front of them, and Liam leaned with his hands on either side of him. Liam's smile faded a little into something softer. "How are you feeling?"

Theo shrugged, flexing his fingers like they were going to give him the answers. "...weird," He admitted, not wanting to go into the details too much. It worried him that there was this new feeling in his body, and if Theo was worried, Liam would be too. The werewolf didn't need any more anxiety in his life, Theo decided. "But better, I guess."

"Good," Liam said, looking like he wanted to say more, but he didn't. Instead, one of his fingers accidentally brushed against Theo's clothed thigh and the chimera hated himself for the way his heart jumped because of it without any way to hide it.

Liam was right there in his reach, and he realized with an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach that he might have never seen him again. He'd lied and said he was okay when he clearly wasn't, pushing back what he knew was the truth until he had almost died. Now, Theo had died before, but he could admit that it wasn't any less painful the second time around. 

Theo found that he was really tired of holding things back.

He sniffed in a breath, expecting to find the normal stuffiness, but there was only the slightly sharp and stale air of the vet's exam room. There wasn't more than a tiny hint of the metal taste in his mouth, and he knew from experience that the way it tasted then meant that it was old, just lingering around, and he wasn't nearly as dizzy as he was before. Even his skin was clean, and although he couldn't tell, Liam had definitely noticed that some of the color in his face was back, making him appear less pale.

The only thing different about him was something seemingly heavier and larger-feeling, but once again, he didn't ask about it. Out of everything new, Theo wanted to focus on the fact that he was somehow _fine_. 

Theo heard his companion take a deep breath. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick?" Liam asked gently, the question Theo had been dreading.

He couldn't exactly tell Liam that he had just been lying, since he had put Corey and Hayden in danger, but could he really admit to the werewolf's face that he thought he just wouldn't care? He didn't know which one would make Liam madder. His brain supplied him the worst-case scenario just a second later: there was no anger, because it was true; Liam wouldn't have cared at all, and he would agree.

"I thought I was okay," Theo said, softer than intended, and not altogether dishonest. "I had bled a little bit before, and it went away. I made sure that Corey was okay to make sure it was just me. It wasn't a big deal."

Liam bristled and his eyes flashed with hurt already, but he quickly corrected it and it was replaced with sadness. "That is a big deal. You almost-" Liam's voice cracked, and that hurt Theo more than the stiffness of his body. Liam's eyes flicked down to the floor, and when he opened his mouth, he didn't finish his sentence. Theo knew what he couldn't say anyway. "That doesn't explain why you didn't come to me before. We could have found something out, tried to help you, Theo!" The way Liam said his name so desperately struck a nerve. 

Theo didn't know how to respond. He was still stretching hi arms and fingers, trying to place was what was different while waiting for Liam to relent. He had nothing he could say. "How are Corey and Hayd-"

"Theo," Liam said firmly, and his hand moved up to Theo's knee. He tried to catch Theo's eyes as the chimera looked down at his hands. The heat he felt coming off of Liam shocked him into meeting his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have made you run around and drag you everywhere. You were so much worse than Corey and Hayden."

Theo clenched his teeth and swallowed hard, throat still dry despite the water he had drank. "What cure do you think I was going to wait out for?" Theo shot, a little too harsh. Liam's lips parted slightly in surprise, eyebrows raising. "You talked about wolfsbane, the only solution I knew, like it was a fatal dose, and that Scott's bite was the only thing that would work as even a temporary solution. Look, it wasn't my intention to die, but what was I supposed to say?"

"How about 'help me?' It worked for Hayden and Corey-"

"Yeah, like Scott was going to help!" Theo borderline shouted above him, his voice still weak from how sore his throat was. "I highly doubt he would offer me a temporary out, let alone a permanent one. This way, you didn't have to watch me day by day get worse and I was able to just live normally for awhile longer."

Liam blinked at him and swallowed, lips still parted. Stunned, he sat back for a moment but got back up. "What do you think happened to you?" Liam asked, his voice strained to keep the anger out of it. Theo was surprised, expecting him to blow up or leave him alone, but the werewolf stayed calm. "The only way you could be saved was by the bite of an alpha or wolfsbane, and we didn't have any on hand." Theo looked at him like he was insane. "I called Scott. He couldn't get here in time."

Theo's stomach dropped when he realized what Liam was saying, and in a single heart-stopping moment, Liam's eyes flashed in the most mesmerizing shade of red he'd ever seen. A part of his arm stung like it had been shocked with bolts of electricity that sent shivers up his sine, and Theo's other hand instinctually went to grab at it. His eyes only left Liam's when he felt the heat coming off of his forearm, this time not from Liam. At least, not directly. "You didn't..."

Liam chewed on his bottom lip and nodded, eyes turning back to that comforting blue. "I had to," Liam said. "As it turns out, tension can really set in the effects of a true alpha. That and something in Scott's spit, I'm guessing."

Theo was at a loss for words and breath, marveling at the prospect of Liam as an alpha. He was being far too nonchalant about it, too, as if becoming someone fabled and rare was an everyday occurance. He should be contemplating, planning, philosophizing, not sitting with him doing nothing He could just imagine now what Liam would do with that kind of power, if he would follow in Scott's footsteps or recruit new members, but all that came out of him from the swirling river of questions was a strangled "Why?"

Liam's expression softened and the smile fell off his face easily. "Why what?" he asked, a quizzical but pained look on his face. "Why did I become an alpha? I don't know, but I'm just being grateful for it. Without it, you wouldn't be alive, and neither would Corey and Hayden. The combination of all the stress must have gotten to me." Theo nodded but bowed his head. 

"You know that wasn't what I was asking."

There was a single second of silence, and Liam looked up at him. Theo saw the familiar anger in the former beta's face, and he almost wanted to sink into the normality of it. "You know what it's like to have nightmares," he said, shocking Theo. He didn't recall telling Liam about it. He guessed that was what he got for letting Liam know him better than he knew himself. "I've had them before, too. Berserkers and hanging off the hospital roof. You know better than anyone that that's awful, but Theo-" Liam's voice broke again. "Seeing you the way I found you was the most terrifying thing in my entire life."

Theo's breath caught in his throat. _"No-"_

"And I just...as soon as we carried you to my car you started to bleed again, and you said my name in your sleep, and instinct just kicked in. I started trying to remember all the times I wish I hadn't said something harsh to you, made you feel better about yourself, and what I could have done to make you ask me for help instead of pushing us all away. You were dying, and there was nothing I could do to stop it." Liam's words held anger and malice for once not directed at him, but himself, and his eyes brimmed with tears. "So don't you ever fucking say that it would have been better for you to die on your own," He growled.

"But why would you do that?" Theo demanded. "Why would you seriously want to deal with-"

"What the fuck? What did you think I was going to do, leave you for dead?"

"YES!" Theo cried incredulously, eyes wide open and lips parted. 

Liam wilted. "Look, I have no idea what was running through your mind when you decided to give up. I don't know if you thought that nobody would help you or even care, but that's not how this works! So no, I wasn't going to let you die!" Liam yelled. He heaved in a breath and a tear dropped down his cheek. "Not the way I feel about you."

Theo's heart stopped. He watched with wide eyes as Liam came closer to him, not daring to let himself believe what he heard.

Liam's hands were on either side of his legs on the table and Theo was surrounded by everything Liam, but while his senses were screaming for him to do something, he was frozen. "I couldn't let you die. I...I don't know what I'd do without you," Liam whispered, and if it were at all possible, Theo's eyes widened more and his heart kicked up harder and faster.

He knew Liam's right hand had moved from the cold table, but he still gasped quietly at the feeling of his still-warm hand on his cheek, something he had unknowingly been craving for what felt like an eternity. He wasn't prepared for that or the second hand's thumb rubbing a circle into his hip, and he certainly wasn't ready when their eyes both shut on their own and he felt just a bit of air before a tiny brush to his lips. 

Theo always had a heart time describing what he felt, but in that moment, it was perfectly clear. He felt a simple brush of lips against his own, barely a kiss that still made his stomach and chest explode with butterflies that fluttered through his body. There was a burning in his fingers and a sort of weakness in his neck and _Liam_, who he knew now more than ever that he loved and wanted nothing more than to be loved by. Liam pulled away by just an inch, eyes searching Theo's, anxious and questioning. Theo hot his hot breath against his mouth, enough for him to gather the courage to pull him back. 

Even if it was his own move, Theo gasped at the now firm kiss and raised his hands to rest on Liam's neck, needing him closer, closer. Liam stood in between Theo's legs and took the invitation to deepen it, making Theo let out a low moan that he couldn't bring himself to care about the pride of. One of his hands made its way into Liam's long, ridiculous hair that he had wanted to card his fingers through so many times. 

Liam held onto his face with both hands like he was precious, fragile, and Theo melted into his touch. The kiss was simple again, just lips on lips, but still perfect. 

Theo had to pull back up for air first, not planning to stop. Liam swallowed and panted, tears in his eyes again as he obviously searched for the right thing to say. "I-I-"

"I'm so in love with you," Theo finished for him, nodding his head almost frantically. Liam flushed and seemingly melted.

"Oh god," the alpha breathed before he went back in for another kiss. "I love you too, I love you so fucking much."

Theo's fears started to fall apart all at once when Liam put his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly to his chest. "I love you," Liam whispered again against the top of his head. "I love you, I love you."

__

Liam was still holding him when the rest of the pack and Deaton came in. Deaton was holding his clipboard and Alec was holding onto Hayden's arm, since it was no secret to any of them that he had been trying to act tough and protective for her ever since she showed up, even though he was a year younger and had no idea who she was. Theo wanted to laugh when he saw it, since it was clear that Alec was the one who was scared and clingy, not her.

"Damn," Mason said, the first word uttered in the room, and Liam was the one to laugh. "I know this is a bad situation and it's really too soon, but I did _not_ think you guys were going to figure this thing out so soon."

Liam grinned at Theo and rested the top of his head against Theo's chest, and Theo couldn't help but smile. "Get used to it," Liam said. "Theo's not going anywhere for a long, long time."

"Oh, great," Alec sighed, but everyone else laughed, including Theo, so Alec just scowled at everyone. "Fine, I promise I'll try and get used to this. _Try."_

"That's all I'm asking," Theo chuckled, not taking himself off of Liam.

The pack all hung around in the exam room while Theo regained enough strength to get up and leave, since Liam was being overprotective. Theo guessed he couldn't blame him for wanting to keep an eye on him after that.

While they talked, Theo learned more about everyone. Liam had bitten Corey and Hayden not too far after he bit Theo, and they were both trying to adjust to the new feeling again. For the time being, Hayden would stay in Beacon Hills for awhile longer while Deaton worked on something that might be able to help them. Theo didn't miss the way Hayden smiled at him and tried to be near him, either. Evidently, almost dying was a good way to make friends. 

Liam didn't say what was going to happen next, since he didn't really know. What would he do as an alpha now? Would it be the same as it had been before? Would things start to change on their own? No one knew.

There was still so much to talk about and ponder, Theo realized as he idly listened to Corey talk about how different it felt to be a full werewolf and not a chimera anymore, but then Liam's arms wrapped around his middle and his tension faded away.

With Liam around, something told him he wouldn't have to worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! 
> 
> I'm so sorry for not updating in awhile :( School has been kicking my ass. I won't lie, it's been fun being around my friends again and meeting new people, but it's definitely been harder to write. On the plus side, I am in the mood for some fluffy stuff considering what my friends are describing as a "just like a fanfic" thing I have going on with someone in my class ;))) This is some friends to lovers, fluff, angst with a happy ending, cuddling type of BS going on in my life and I am SO not used to it...I'll keep you updated and tell you guys what's been happening if you want LMAO, wish me luck :)))))
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading the prologue! I didn't consider this a chapter because it kind of just sets everything up. Just an extra part of putting Theo through pain, I guess. That seems to be a specialty of mine.
> 
> I know there wasn't a lot of Theo and Liam in this chapter, but in this one, Theo didn't immediately move in with Liam like i've written about before (I think, at least. I'm losing track), so they're still as distant as they were before. Don't fret, it'll get better for them ;)
> 
> Now, in a completely Me fashion, here's an "anyway:"
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed! I'll have the next part up soon. Comments are always appreciated!


End file.
